WFAN Gives Fans The Chance To Step Up

For many fans that listen to WFAN, there lies the dream of addressing the masses with their own talk show. On Saturday morning, people from all over New York gathered at Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City to try to become "WFAN's Fantasy Phenom."

WFAN, a sports radio talk show, has been working with the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and traveling from city to city to give fans the chance to prove themselves. Only one person will be awarded a one-year contract to host their own show, most likely a two-hour slot during a weekend shift.

"It's the chance for the number one sports radio station to give back to the community," WFAN's John D'Alessandro said. "Everyone can think that they can do it, but this is their opportunity."

Fans lined up on the main level, just beneath Dick's Sporting Goods, for the tryouts. The first person who arrived was Lynbrook resident Mark Healy, who had been at Roosevelt Field since 1:30 a.m.

"I'm really excited," Healy said. "WFAN has always been something that I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I am going to give my best, and I hope that's what the judges are looking for."

The judges consisted of WFAN program director Eric Spitz, operations manager Mark Chernoff and news anchor Tracy Burgess. Fans lined up around the block outside the mall to get their chance. Before appearing in front of the judges, fans were quizzed with sports questions. If candidates failed to impress, they were turned away. The first man to fail had been there since 2 a.m. and never got a chance.

"You need to be able to show your knowledge and emotion," Jason Gieser of Huntington Station said. "You need to have the utmost confidence in yourself. That's my attitude as I go in."

Fans were given two minutes to rant about a topic of their choosing. Once time was up, contestants were escorted to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting table for a mock broadcast on camera and were given tips on how to get better.

"I come across so many people in a day who are just sports fans," admissions coordinator Rebecca Meszaros said. "They can talk about sports for hours, but you need to have the passion, skills and make it interesting for other people."

Tryouts continued until 1 p.m., and one person who seemed to get people's attention was Brian Lestz from Roslyn, who formed an instant rapport with the judges.

"There are guys who know more about stats than I do," Lestz said. "I think that I bring everything to the table and I have a good personality, and that is important in having a radio show."

If people make the cut, they will be notified by the station, and their rants will be posted on the website. Round two will be at select Buffalo Wild Wings locations in August, where the field will be narrowed down to five, all of whom will get an hour on air with Mike Francesa, and then a winner will be chosen.

"This is the chance for people to get a start," D'Alessandro said. "Every great sports talk show host started somewhere, and now it's someone else's turn."